ESL Video Quiz: A new drug for the prevention of HIV infection?

Journalist :
Truvada. It’s been on the market for some time, but now for the first time it’s been approved as what’s being called a prevention drug. How significant is this ?
Doctor :
Well it’s significant because this is the first time that we have an approved drug by the FDA for the prevention of HIV infection. We have approximately 30 drugs that have been approved for the treatment of HIV infection, but this adds now to that comprehensive tool kit as we call it of multiple different ways to prevent HIV infection. It isn’t supposed to be primary for everyone you mentioned correctly for people at high risks such as men who have sex with men or people who are in a couple relationship where one is infected and the other isn’t. It’s not meant as a substitution for other types of prevention but it is a very important milestone and that is the first time that an anti-HIV drug has been approved by the FDA for prevention as opposed to just treatment.

Journalist :
As you know some people are concerned doctor Fauci that it could be an excuse to now engage in unprotected sex. Is that a real concern for you ?

Doctor :
Well, that’s always a concern but there really is a lot of effort when you talk about what is being done in making people aware of the things that they need to do and the emphasis on the part of the drug company on the part of the FDA and the CDC about this not being a substitute that you still need to utilize and implement the other prevention measures. Importantly you need to make sure that you are not infected when you start on the drug, because this is not a drug for treatment even though it’s used in treatment it’s not the full component of treatment, so people need to make sure that they go get tested and make sure they’re negative before they start on that and again it’s not for everyone it’s for people in the high risk categories.
Journalist :
Is there any proof doctor Fauci, that this drug could cut HIV transmission rates ?
Doctor :
Well there is no doubt about it because if you look at the data from the clinical studies that you mentioned Wolf, in the men who have sex with men it’s decreased by 42% effective and then in fact if you look at people who actually really did take the drug it’s higher than 42% that’s all commas, some people do not take their drug regularly and in the heterosexual study it’s as high as over 17% so there is no doubt from the clinical studies that if implemented if people that hear to the regimen of 1 pile a day that it will significantly decrease the acquisition of infection on the part of the person who’s taking the drug.

Journalist
Will this drug be covered by health insurance or let’s say Medicaid for that matter ?

Doctor
Well I’m not quite sure I can’t make that statement right now, where it’s just approved that will be up to the appropriate agencies to make that decision.
Journalist :
Big pictures and give us the really big picture because who have been a pioneer in this area for so many so many years what does this mean in the overall fight against HIV and aids ?
Doctor
What it really means Wolf, is that we have another scientifically evidence-based mechanism of prevention of infection if you look at the different ways to prevent infection there is a whole constellation of them we refer to this combination prevention this is a very important addition to that comprehensive prevention tool kit that we have.